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FILE - This Nov. 16, 2012 file photo shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy in Washington. President Barack Obama and leaders of the lame-duck Congress may be just weeks away from shaking hands on a deal to avert the dreaded ``fiscal cliff.’’ So it’s natural to wonder: If they announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real? (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - This Nov. 16, 2012 file photo shows President Barack Obama, accompanied by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy in Washington. President Barack Obama and leaders of the lame-duck Congress may be just weeks away from shaking hands on a deal to avert the dreaded ``fiscal cliff.’’ So it’s natural to wonder: If they announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real? (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)